APPENDIX. 161 



deemed so likewise. The injurious effects of the 

 severity of the weather might be avoided by a ju- 

 dicious choice of woollen clothing, the external air 

 being met by an outward garment of varnished silk, 

 and the face defended by a mask, with eyes of glass. 

 The exterior garment, would, at the same time, be 

 water-proof, and thus capable of shielding the body 

 from accidental moisture. 



" (b.) The white bear is the only ferocious ani- 

 mal known to inhabit those regions, and he rarely 

 makes an attack upon man. At any rate, he might 

 be repulsed by any offensive weapon. And, as the 

 prey of the bears is scarce in the most northern la- 

 titudes, they would not probably occur in any abun- 

 dance. 



" 4. Hitherto no insurmountable objection has 

 been presented : a few serious obstacles, should 

 they occur, remain to be considered. 



" (a.) Mountainous land, like mountainous ice, 

 would check the progress of the expedition, in pro- 

 portion to the ruggedness of its surface and the 

 steepness of its cliffs. Its occurrence would, never- 

 theless, form an interesting discovery. 



" (b.) From the pretended excursions of the 

 Dutch, many have believed that the sea at the 

 Pole is free from ice. Were this really the case, 

 the circumstance would certainly be an extraordi- 



